Dear WRI Women Reader,

Greetings from London! My name is Caroline B. Pinkney-Baird and I am the woman that War Resisters’ International hired to help coordinate the upcoming women’s conference in Thailand (Women Overcoming Violence:

Redefining Development and Changing Society Through Nonviolence). It has now been exactly a month since I started work in the WRI office-~ and what a busy month it has been!

Let me tell you a little about myself if you haven’t yet met me (and most of you haven’t). I was born in New York, USA and have lived in the US, England, Brazil and Sudan. I have been active with Amnesty International, War Resisters League (USA), Friends of the Earth, War on Want, the Green Party—and other organizations too numerous to mention I’ve helped organise various events—including two other women’s conferences and I am just finishing up my M.A. in Political Management (campaigning, organising, fundraising, etc.). I’m also a photographer, an artist, an avid reader, swimmer, animal lover, environmentalist (feminist and pacifist goes without saying!)…

I’m really excited to have this opportunity to help with Women Overcoming Violence as I believe these issues urgently need to be addressed—both within WRI as well as the world at large.

I hope all of you will be able to take part in Women Overcoming Violence—even if you do not go to Thailand, you can still get involved! Women in many countries will be organising various events around the themes of the conference designed not only to publicise the event itself, but also to get as many women as possible involved in the crusade to overcome violence. If you are not sure how you can become involved in this international network of women, then write to me at War Resisters’ International, 55 Dawes Street, London SE17 1EL and I’d be happy to tell you who the contact is in your country or answer any questions you might have.

In peace,

Caroline B. Pinkney-Baird

n.b.—I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all of those women who have already devoted so much time to this women’s — conference (I dare not name all of you—the list is far too long and I would hate to miss one of you—but you know who you are!).